Castor & Pollux Natural Ultramix Grain-Free | Dog Food Review

Nutrition

This food has well-balanced amounts of protein, fat, and carbs. Diets that are high in protein and fat, with moderate to low carbs, are ideal for most dogs.

To evaluate dog foods, we first calculate out the moisture. This is called the “dry matter basis” and shows you only the solid ingredients in the food. These estimated “dry matter” numbers are different from the food label, but a better way to understand the real nutritional value of the food. We also calculate the carbs. Find out more

Dry Matter

Min. Protein 47.37%

Min. Fat 26.32%

Min. Carbs 15.79%

Max. Fiber 7.37%

Max. Ash 10.53%

Max. Moisture 0.00%

Food Label

Min. Protein: 9.0%

Min Fat: 5.0%

Min Carbs: N/A

Max Fiber: 1.4%

Max Ash: N/A

Max. Moisture: 81.0%

Calories

341 Calories per Can

This product has an average amount of calories for wet food. It’s important to understand how many calories you are feeding to prevent under or overfeeding. Based on your dog's current weight and activity level you may want to feed more or less than the recommended amount.

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FDA Alert

Grain-Free Dog Foods

This is a grain-free dog food. The FDA is investigating a potential connection between grain-free diets and canine heart disease. There is not enough evidence yet to affect our ratings but we've created an article for you explaining the topic.

Learn More

99.5%

WATCHDOG
SCORE

Ingredients

100%

Total Ingredients

Controversial Ingredients

Chicken, Chicken Broth, Beef Broth, Beef, Tomatoes, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Liver, Dried Peas, Natural Flavor, Dried Potatoes, Salmon Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Phosphate, Potato Starch, Salt, Guar Gum, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Sunflower Oil, Cassia Gum, Flaxseed Oil, Agar-Agar, Flaxseed, Locust Bean Gum, Xanthan Gum, Minerals (Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Copper Amino Acid Complex, Potassium Iodate, Cobalt Glucoheptonate, Sodium Selenite), Vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme.

The average dog food we reviewed has 39 total ingredients, with 1 controversial ingredient. There are no controversial ingredients in this product.

Top 5 Ingredients

Dog food ingredients are listed in descending order of weight. So when looking at a dog food label, take a close look at the first 5 ingredients. They make up about 80% of the total weight.

Chicken
Chicken is a nutritious meat that provides protein, fat and other nutrients to dogs. Raw meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product's weight. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals in the first five ingredients (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein). However, chicken is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

Chicken Broth
Chicken broth is often used as a healthy natural flavor or instead of water when making dog food. It makes dogs more likely to eat the food and adds moisture but doesn't provide a lot of nutritional value. Chicken Broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.

Beef Broth
Broth is often used as a healthy natural flavor or instead of water when making dog food. It makes dogs more likely to eat the food and adds moisture but doesn't provide a lot of nutritional value. Beef Broth is generally a healthy dog food ingredient.
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for cuts of meat from cattle, particularly skeletal muscle. In dog food, beef can also include muscle tissues from the tongue, heart, diaphragm or esophagus. Beef is rich in protein and nutrients like niacin, vitamin B12, creatine, iron and zinc. Beef is generally a healthy dog food ingredient. Whole meat contains about 75% water which is cooked off during the making of dog food. This leaves only a fraction of the protein content in the final product. We recommend looking for dog foods that also include meat meals (pre-cooked meat powder that contains four times the amount of protein).
Tomatoes
Tomatoes consist of about 95% water, offering a very small amount of nutrients, carbs and vitamin C. While they are not unhealthy, their use in dog food seems a bit gimmicky.

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Controversial Ingredients

Castor & Pollux have not included any controversial ingredients in this product.

‍Country of Origin

Manufactured in the United States.

Meat & Fat Quality

There are three named meat and protein sources in this Castor and Pollux food. They are beef, chicken liver, and dried egg product. Having named sources like this is good, it implies higher quality. There are a considerable number of named fat sources in this product as well, these include chicken broth, beef broth, salmon oil, flaxseed oil, and flaxseed. It’s great to see that all sources of both meat and fat are named.

Artificial Preservatives

This Castor & Pollux product does not have any controversial preservatives. These preservatives serve an important purpose, which is to prevent food from spoiling. However, we consider 11 artificial preservatives controversial because of their potential link to cancer and other serious health conditions.

Artificial Colors

None.

Artificial Flavors

None.

Recalls

100%

Brand Recalls

Castor & Pollux has no recalls in their history. This is a great sign of a company with thoughtfully enforced safety standards.

Transparency

95%

We love dog food brands that are committed to transparent business practices. If you make quality dog food you should be willing to openly talk about how it’s sourced and produced. That’s why we reached out to pet food companies, asking questions about all their brands and products. Each company had three weeks to reply to our messages.

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How Easy Was it to Reach the Company?
Castor & Pollux responded within 1 day with complete answers. Unfortunately, they have an aggressive disclaimer in their email that prohibits us from sharing the answers they provided.

Does Castor & Pollux have a veterinary nutritionist on staff? If so, who are they?‍‍‍